Online Information

SMM CHURCH SUGGESTION BOXES

We would like to hear the desires of all in our faith community so we are soliciting your help. Beginning this weekend, suggestion boxes will be installed in the Cardinal Street entrance and near the main entrance. In each box there will be 2 different forms.

The yellow card is to be used to express your ideas, suggestions or concerns to help enhance our parish. To submit this form online click here.

The blue card is for those who wish to join our parish or for those who would like more information about our ministries or organizations. Please put completed cards in the suggestion boxes or in the collection basket. To submit this form online click here.

For an overview of the various SMM ministries & organizations click here.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Suggestions Submitted - updated 9/25/18

Issues for Liturgy Committee:

Suggestion: Please address all masses about immodest clothing attire which has gotten worse. Some parishioners are finding this offensive.Solution: Archbishop Aymond issued a letter at the beginning of the summer addressing this issue. It will be re-produced & put in bulletin as well as posted to parish website (see below).

Suggestion:My family was so blessed at the recent ‘Praise & Worship’ night; would love to do this again.Solution: 'Praise & Worship’ Nights will be planned to take place 4 times a year utilizing our Music Ministry on a variety of evenings.

Suggestion:Ask Fr. Chris to sit down to read the “After Communion” prayer, then everyone would already be seated for the Announcements.Solution: Unfortunately, as much as Fr. Chris would like to accommodate this request, according to the Official Mass Rubrix, he is following the correct protocol. He is not allowed to change the order or protocol of the Mass.

Suggestion:If possible, please move handicapped parking slots in Cardinal St. Lot closer to church entrance.Solution: Liturgy Committee was very much in favor of this request, including adding an awning or cover over sidewalk into the parking lot. Fr. Chris hopes to address this request as soon as possible.

Suggestion:Chapel should be used ONLY as an overflow or Cry Room. Request that 2nd floor Cry Room be re-opened erecting a barrier so parents who let their kids run about cannot bang on the glass.Solution: While Fr. Chris & Liturgy Committee would really like people attending Mass to sit in the main body of the church, there is no way to address this without offending people who choose to sit in the chapel for a variety of reasons. Some are using it as cry room for young children; others may be using it for handicapped people or for those with other health related issues. It’s not our place to judge those who choose to sit there, as we allow the chapel to be open during Mass. Re: request to open 2nd floor cry room: when it was previously open it presented a number of issues including distracting the Celebrant of the Mass, as well as causing security issues on the 2nd floor. After discussion, the Liturgy Committee determined that it was not practical to re-open the Cry Room and to continue to use the Chapel for this purpose.

Church Attire should reflect our Respect

by Archbishop Gregory Aymond

I know the issue of church attire is a sensitive one – especially in an area where it’s hot nine months out of the year. What’s your perspective on how people should dress for Mass?

I have a variety of feelings about this. There’s a part of me that remains grateful to God that a person is in church, regardless of how he or she is dressed. I certainly realize there are individual circumstances where a person may have other responsibilities and is not able to dress in what we might consider an appropriate manner, so I want to be sensitive to that. At the same time, the church is a sacred place – truly holy ground. It is a consecrated place where we meet God in a unique way through the Scriptures, through the assembly and through the Eucharist. At some level, our attire speaks to the importance or unique nature of what we are doing in that sacred space, worshiping God in the Sunday assembly. When people go to social events such as weddings or anniversaries or graduations, they most often dress with care. That’s not to say they are in formal attire, but they are dressed appropriately. Shouldn’t we also take the same care as we go to church to experience God’s presence in a unique way through the Mass?

What’s been your experience of how people dress for church?

I think we’ve all been aware that there are some who at times dress too casually for Mass. In some cases, one might even question the level of modesty in attire. I think it’s important for all of us to note that our attire should not be a distraction or temptation to other people. This goes for both men and women. I don’t think we need to wear T-shirts that advertise beer or that have inappropriate words that could bring offense to someone else. Again, I think the responsibility lies with each individual. We should act with charity and responsibility and not be a stumbling block to someone else’s worship experience.

Is the problem also just a general relaxing of dress codes in the culture? That does have something to do with it. Everybody knows about “Casual Fridays” and events like that. Fewer people wear coats and ties to the workplace. It used to be that to get into a fancy restaurant in New Orleans, you had to be dressed appropriately. Men had to wear a jacket and tie. Nobody could walk into a restaurant in flip-flops. Those days are largely gone. I realize that the more we live in a casual society, that a relaxed dress code becomes more the norm. I want to be sensitive to that reality. At the same time, I’d like to continue posing the question: Does the way we dress for church say something about how we view the importance of the event? I’d like to reiterate: I am always grateful to God that people are in church with the desire to celebrate the Eucharist. To me, attire is always a secondary consideration. Nevertheless, it is worthy of our consideration. I’m not sure how much God cares about our attire, but dressing appropriately is a way of our saying to God and to others that we value the Eucharist and see it as sacred and as the source and summit of our lives as Catholics. My prayer would be that people truly would understand what it means not to be a distraction to others in such a sacred moment. I’d love to encourage more people to live up to the adage of wearing their “Sunday best” – not to show off but as a concrete way of thanking God and caring for our neighbors in the next pew